Of Reapers and Men
by tokin10313
Summary: Our story begins with the origins of Commander Shepard. The scrappy Earthborn hoodrat, the naive N1 Marine, the Sole Survivor of Akuze, and finally the legendary N7 Commander Shepard Spectre. But who is she after the war? The disabled veteran with PTSD and a shadow of the once great Commander Shepard. [Angst, Romance, Sci-Fi, FemShep & Liara romance, Rated M for violence, sex, etc]


**Hello, everybody! Sorry for the lengthy intro. This is the first chapter in my largest project ever. This is my telling of my own Commander Shepard's story. Her Earthborn origin, her Sole Survivor background, a deeper look into her actions aboard the Normandy, falling in love with Liara T'Soni, and what happens after the events of Mass Effect. I won't give any spoilers but I am quite proud of my own imagination with this project and I hope you all find it extremely entertaining.**

 **"Commander Shepard wasn't always the famous 'Commander Shepard'. The story of Lukas Shepard begins on Earth where her first two tragedies begin to shape her into the woman she will become. This is her journey from scruffy street rat, to scrappy Alliance soldier, to legendary savior of the galaxy, and finally from soldier to civillian and the father of a lot of little blue children." A much darker story than it sounds I just suck at summaries.**

 **I also welcome any criticism and comments you may have!**

 **PS I have set up the chapters in a "Case File" Format to help readers better understand when and where each chapter is taking place in a more entertaining and interactive way. The story is told 95% through a limited third-person point of view through Commander Shepard. Occasionally I adopt an omniscient third-person pov for the sake of better story telling.**

 _ **PPS SOMETHING I CONSIDER VITAL TO MY WRITING: I like to listen to certain songs I have in a playlist while creating these chapters. It helps to create a better environment for the chapter and I highly recommend at least looking up the lyrics for these songs to get a more full experience when reading. Thanks! There are no songs for this chapter.**_ __

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Case File: Lukas Shepard – Childhood (Age 8)

Location: New London, Earth

Day 174 into the Earth's Revolution

Year 2162: 23 Years Prior to the Eden Prime

Lukas Shepard and her best friend Sam sat on the hardwood floors of Lukas' room with their feet stretched out before them. It was just getting to sunset, their favorite time of day to do one of their favorite activities.

"Hurry, hurry! The sun's about to set!" Sam squirmed in excitement.

"I'm trying!" Lukas pulled out a necklace from her pocket and dangled the pendant in front of the incoming rays of sun.

Once the pendant was hit by the sun's rays the room dimmed and beautiful colors of cosmic purples and blues filled the room surrounding them. Slowly little white flecks filled in the empty spaces and the milky way galaxy formed in the center of the room. The children's faces lit up with wonder as their galaxy surrounded them. They made a game of pointing out constellations and which of the stars made up their solar system.

"That one over there _has_ to be Earth!" Lukas shouted and jutted her finger to a bright star in the galaxy.

"No it's not! Earth is over here!" Sam frowned and pointed to a different star on the opposite side.

"How do you know?" Lukas frowned in protest.

"Because my Dad said so! He showed me on his ship's map once!" Sam stuck his tongue out at Lukas and they both started to laugh.

Sam was Lukas' childhood friend. They had both grown up in the same town in New London, a location of a major space ship landing station. The town was a major tourist area because of this often bringing in travelers from all over the galaxy. Nearby was also a major Alliance Station and most of the town's residents were those who worked for the Alliance including Sam's father. Sam's father is a pilot for the Alliance Cruiser SSV London part of the Fourth Fleet protecting Earth. His mother was a co-pilot for the same ship but retired when Sam was born to take care of him.

Lukas' parents on the other hand were contract workers for the Alliance, indirectly working for the Alliance in Communications and Technology. Their jobs often allowed them to work from home meaning Lukas rarely ever had to be alone. Their family wasn't perfect but they all shared an incredible bond.

"Lukas! Sam! It's time for dinner." Lukas' mother, Victoria, called from downstairs.

Lukas and Sam frowned not wanting to leave their personal galaxy.

"Come on, kids! It's getting cold!"

Groaning Lukas put the necklace in her pocket and the galaxy instantly vanished. The two of them begrudgingly made their way downstairs to the dinner table. Lukas' mom passed out the dinner plates and Sam's mother, Anna, gathered the food onto the table. Sam and his mom often joined Lukas' family for dinner while his father was deployed.

"Don't forget to wash your hands before dinner." Lukas' dad, Jared, gave them a playful but stern look.

"Okay, Dad."

"Okay, Mr. Shepard."

Tonight was Lukas' favorite night. Her mother always made the best baked varren and Sam's mom made the best desserts. Lukas and Sam eagerly dove into their plates.

"Won't you two slow down? You're going to give yourselves a stomach ache." Lukas' mother shook her head.

"Don't you know, honey? Fighting batarians and vorcha _really_ gives you an appetite." Lukas' father, Jared, said with a wink to the children.

"Yeah, mom! We almost lost Sam during that last fight." Lukas winked back at her father.

The laughter echoing in the dining room was interrupted by a piercing noise and the house violently shaking. Plates on the table fell to the floor shattering and Lukas and Sam flew off their chairs onto the floor. Sam's mother grabbed the both of them and dragged them down the hallway to the closet under the stairs.

"Get in here and stay quiet! We'll be right back!" With that she slammed the door and ran off down the hallway.

"Mom!" Sam slammed his fists against the wall repeatedly.

Lukas yanked him back and slapped her hand over his mouth, "Shh! Your mom said we have to be quiet."

Another violent tremor threw them to the back wall. Lukas' vision blurred for a moment and she felt a wetness on the back of her head. She only noticed the ringing in her ears when she saw Sam's mouth moving but couldn't hear anything.

"Lukas, are you okay? Lukas!" Sam spoke quietly.

Muffled voices came through the door to Lukas' ears. They were gruff and deep. Lukas' and Sam's parents were yelling back at them. "Please, no! We have children! Please, we will give you everything we've got!" Sam's mom cried.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but this ain't a robbery." The gruff voice spoke. It sounded batarian. A gunshot sounded followed by the screams of presumably Lukas' parents.

"M-!" Sam started to cry out but Lukas' covered his mouth once again with her hand. She could feel his tears drip down onto her fingers. Two more gunshots sounded and the house grew eerily quiet except for the dull rumble outside. Lukas tried to keep her tears quiet as her and Sam slowly fell to the floor.

 _Mom… Dad…_ Lukas whimpered quietly.

Lukas put her mouth to Sam's ear and whispered, "Sam…" her voice shook, "we have to get out of here." Sam gave a shaky nod. "Let's wait until they walk away and then run for the back door okay?" He gave another shaky nod. Lukas quietly moved to the door and listened for footsteps. At first the footsteps grew closer to the door and stopped. Lukas grabbed her chest as if the batarian on the other side could hear her heart pounding. After what felt like an eternity she heard the footsteps go off in another direction. She released her breath and turned to Sam nodding. Slowly she opened the cabinet door checking the path to the door. _Clear_.

"Go!" She grabbed Sam by the forearm and took off for the backdoor.

Behind her she heard someone shout, "The children! They're getting away!"

A batarian replied, "Ah, let them go. We aren't here for them. Besides they'll probably be eaten by a wild varren anyways."

Lukas didn't bother to stop running after the backdoor slammed shut behind them. The sound of bullets and bombs in the background kept her adrenaline pumping. _We have to find Sam's dad_. Lukas kept them running behind houses and through dark alleyways to keep them out of sight.

"My dad…" Sam huffed, "he'll know…what to do." Lukas could tell he was crying by the sound of his voice. She squeezed his hand tightly for comfort.

The route they were on led them straight to the Alliance Station. The front entrance was surrounded by local police and military officers. Two guards were standing on either side of the path leading up to the building blocking any entry.

Sam ran up to one of the guards huffing and puffing, "Have you seen my dad? I need to find my dad!" He proceeded to rattle on about the attack and his mom, his voice shaking.

"Woah, kid, slow down. I'm sorry but no one can enter the building right now. It isn't safe." The soldier knelt down to Sam's level. "Now, tell me one more time. What happened?"

Sam sniffled and wiped his nose. "We were eating and…and then there was a loud boom. My mom told us to hide under the stairs but… But then there were these big men talking and then they…they shot my mom… And Lukas's parents too." Sam looked back at Lukas and back at the soldier.

"You got away? You're both so brave!" The soldier tried his best to give a comforting smile and an affectionate rub of Sam's shoulders.

"We need to find my dad," Sam continued, "he's a soldier. I need to tell him what happened to mom."

The soldier nodded and opened his Omni-tool, "Okay what's his name?"

"Jack."

"I need a last name, son."

"Hanchester… And I'm Sam."

The soldier nodded and smiled, "Alright just give me a second." He stood and walked a few feet away. He dialed his commanding officer on his omni-tool, "Sir, this is Chief Trent, I have two young children here who escaped from the attack. One of them is a young boy named Sam looking for his father Jack Hanchester." He paused for a moment neither Sam nor Lukas could hear what the other person was replying. They waited a long while before seeing him close his omni-tool and slowly approach them. His face was dismal and he knelt before Sam once again. "Son, I'm so sorry but… Your father is gone. He was killed in the attack."

Lukas could see Sam's shoulders start to shake violently and we wailed clinging to the soldier. Her own vision blurred and she fell to her knees. She felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked up. The other officer was kneeling in front of her. She tried to hold back but the pain was simply too much for her young heart. She crashed into him and buried her face into his uniform. "It'll be okay, kid," he whispered.


End file.
